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- phillh
- Member Since: 15 Sep 2025
- Location: Herts
- Posts: 8
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- Mole HD
- Member Since: 19 Nov 2024
- Location: Orkney Islands
- Posts: 884
Hi Phill.
I get the same if I don't use the car for a few days. Usually a run around the island for an hour sorts it out for a few days at least...we only have 25 miles of single track roads around the island so unfortunately most of my journeys are short stop/start. I usually stick a bottle of Wynn's DPF cleaning fluid in the tank when I top up with diesel, it helps stop the ash build up in the DPF a bit.
Besides that, short journeys or not...turn the auto/stop start off during those trips through the town, your engine and battery will thank you for it...just as the car will with being used instead of being parked up.
Once every few weeks, I head over on the ferry to Mainland and blast the car around the decent A roads over there for a while to give it a decent run out at higher revs until I get the local ferry back home.
Like yours, mine is a 2017 HSE and I suspect the battery is now 9 years old and a bit tired...I'll be looking to replace it at some point with a decent Bosch 95AH one, the OE battery is 80AH so the Bosch (or similar AGM brand) will be better suited to the limitations of living on a small rock in the north sea.
I usually buy from here
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Last edited by Mole HD on 22nd Apr 2026 9:35 am. Edited 5 times in total -
- phillh
- Member Since: 15 Sep 2025
- Location: Herts
- Posts: 8
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- Wolfpack
- Member Since: 25 May 2019
- Location: Norfolk, UK
- Posts: 574
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- 747_JK
- Member Since: 26 Jun 2018
- Location: England
- Posts: 497
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- phillh
- Member Since: 15 Sep 2025
- Location: Herts
- Posts: 8
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- DieselRanger
- Member Since: 12 Oct 2017
- Location: God's Country, Colorado
- Posts: 811
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- Penuwchian
- Member Since: 01 Sep 2025
- Location: Wales
- Posts: 23
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- Mole HD
- Member Since: 19 Nov 2024
- Location: Orkney Islands
- Posts: 884
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- Narpy
- Member Since: 30 Apr 2025
- Location: Stockport
- Posts: 170
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As a footnote to this thread, I had suspected my battery as being a bit goosed since I bought the D5 just over 12 months ago. I’d become used to its driving habits but after changing the battery it’s like driving a different car. Gone is the constant warning that the spare tyre is low on pressure ( it never has been ) and the car drives much smoother with the jerkiness I’d become accustomed to, also gone.
Whilst changing the battery I also took the time to unplug the awful stop/start lead and that too has transformed the driving experience. Furthermore, the powered tailgate now operates as it should and I’ve discovered it has a sensor ( which now works ) to prevent the tailgate closing if there’s an obstacle. That definitely didn’t work pre-battery change.
So, to sum up, if you’re suffering some minor but annoying car related issues, consider changing your vehicles main battery especially if it’s a few years old and still has the original installed. Better still, consider fitting a Bluetooth battery indicator so you can monitor the battery from the comfort of your armchair.
Bluetooth Monitor Linky
Buy Your Battery Here Linky
How To Change Your D5 Battery Linky
This has been a Narpy “I never expected that” Awareness Post
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- Wolfpack
- Member Since: 25 May 2019
- Location: Norfolk, UK
- Posts: 574
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- Narpy
- Member Since: 30 Apr 2025
- Location: Stockport
- Posts: 170
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- Wolfpack
- Member Since: 25 May 2019
- Location: Norfolk, UK
- Posts: 574
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- Narpy
- Member Since: 30 Apr 2025
- Location: Stockport
- Posts: 170
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- Mole HD
- Member Since: 19 Nov 2024
- Location: Orkney Islands
- Posts: 884
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Most car batteries will need replacing if they're 5 or more years old...like everything, they have an effective operating life regardless of the actual mileage on the vehicle. 3-5 years is about average across most brands...and most AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) batteries that are compatible with single battery auto stop/start operation will come with that length of time reflected in a guarantee or warranty.
When chosing a replacement battery, the 2 important numbers to look at, besides the physical dimensions and guarantee period, are the Capacity (the higher the better) and Cold Cranking Amperage (CCA). Once again, the higher the better. The Bosch battery I have fitted now is 95AH (capacity) and with an 850A CCA (cold cranking amperage). I'm not trying to preach...many folks will know all this stuff through experience but some, who might never have attempted any sort of DIY car maintenance may not.
Anyways, don't go buying or fitting 2nd hand batteries to save a few pennies...it's false economy, always buy new from a reputable supplier.
Back on topic...I'd mirror the same sentiments after replacing my ancient 9 year old 80AH factory fitted battery with a new Bosch 95AH (from Tayna Batteries). The Bling Barge seems less...fussy and pernickety if you know what I mean, not to mention no more 'Battery low, please start engine' if I leave it sitting idle for a few days.
Some of the improvements could well be attributed to resetting the BMS after fitting the new battery though...it works similar to a soft reset of everything that demands a bit of voltage/amperage from the battery... it's a bit like restarting your phone when it starts playing up.
If you don't reset the BMS after a battery change...it'll gradually drift back to throwing up some particular issues since the BMS regulates voltage/amperage distribution. If it's not been reset to reflect having a fresh battery fitted, it'll still be utilising the values it had with the tired, old battery. Replacing the battery will work fine without resetting the BMS of course...but the recuperation or improvements probably won't last as long.
The BMS also regulates charging rates from the alternator and prevents over or under charging of the battery during normal operation. It also monitors battery temperature to improve longevity of the battery. My honest advice? If you can't DIY resetting the BMS...pop into an Indy garage and have them do it.
It's a bit like re-gassing the HVAC, which really needs doing every 2 to 5 years. The cost of a DIY kit is the same price as going to an indy garage for a drive in regas service...swings and roundabouts. If you have the kit...fine. If not, the drive in service costs the same as buying a basic regas kit online...around £100.
All that said...the biggest favour you can do for your battery...not to mention the engine, starter motor and everything else on a pre facelift, non hybrid D5... is to turn the damned auto stop/start off...either by pressing the button every time you start the car, pulling the 2 pin plug off the battery terminal (like Narpy) or by editing the CCF with an IID tool to enable last user memory mode. Like EGR's, DPF's and all the mechanically destructive emission control systems forced onto modern diesels...they're an absolute curse.
On a recent trip from Aberdeen back oop north to Scrabster for the Orkney ferry, it really set my teeth on edge listening to every second diesel engined car painfully rattling back into life half a dozen times just moving up the odd slow queue for roadworks or dual carriageway roundabouts...Don't attribute auto stop/start with any sort of fuel economy either...that's not what it does or why it's there.
As to resetting the BMS...most generic OBD2 diagnostic tools will offer a BMS reset option (and other service or maintenance related functions on a D5)...we're not talking of the expensive toys like IID tools or CR Max's, some of the far cheaper, budget efforts readily available from Halfrauds or online will do perfectly well for basic service interval resets and BMS or DPF resets on a pre facelift D5....just check it covers basic Jaguar/Land Rover service functionality for 2016/2017 onward.
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